Helping employees to stretch, Setting clear standards, Defining the scope of responsibility for employees, Helping your employees buy into higher performance standards, Documenting what you and your employees agree on, deciding a course of action, observing and following up & being clear about rewards are the universal steps for attaining higher performance in the business world.

2.  The following eight steps will help you and
your employees interact in ways that make
you work more efficiently and effectively.
 These steps will help you help your
employees feel more motivated / charged on
the job and build the connection between
their own interests and the interests of the
organization.

3.  Step 1. Help Your Employees Stretch
 Take your employees above and beyond the status quo of just
doing the same job the same way. Make their work challenging,
and help them to see the big picture—and their part in it!
 Most people want to be better and more capable. But they may
resist if they feel that higher expectations are being imposed on
them. Make sure your employees know that you're simply trying
to help them stretch and grow. You can do this by helping them
set individual performance goals that exceed the existing
requirements of their jobs. Further, if you explain how their work
adds value to the organization and how what they do affects the
work of others, they can figure out ways to improve.

4.  Step 2. Set Clear Standards
 What are the standards of performance for a particular
job? Identify them and be specific about the outcomes that
characterize outstanding performance and the outcomes
that indicate unacceptable performance. How could one
control something that he is unable to define? But that's
the challenge you face as a manager: to improve
performance, you've got to be able to define it.
 Again, invite discussion on this matter and listen carefully
to what the employee has to say. Encourage each
employee to establish his or her own parameters for
measuring performance based on what he or she
considers to be realistic.

5.  3. Define the Scope of Responsibility for
Employees
 Make sure everyone understands who is
responsible for each job activity. When
employees know their roles in relationship to
those of others, this reduces confusion and
gives them a better sense of how they might
work with their fellow employees to meet
their individual objectives.

6.  4. Help Your Employees Buy into Higher
Performance Standards
 Most employees want to have a role in
raising their own performance expectations.
The more input an employee can provide
about the job he or she is expected to
perform, the more likely the employee is to
buy into the new standards.

7.  5. Document What You and Your Employees Agree On
 Develop a written list of performance standards for
meeting and for exceeding the expectations you've
agreed upon with your employees. Remember: you
want your employees to continue to stretch, yet you
must be sure they can attain those goals.
 Be specific about what it's going to take to reach the
standards, In each area of job activities. Then,
document those expectations. Give a copy of this
document to each employee and keep one for
yourself.

8.  6. Decide on a Course of Action
 Once you've set standards, review the specific tasks of each
person's job. Identify and discuss the areas in which each
employee is skilled and qualified. Plan a course of delegation
based on each employee's experience and competence.
 Then—and this is very important—let each employee know that
once he or she has started the project and gained more insight
into the intricacies of the job, you're willing to revise these
expectations as necessary. You'll still keep the goals challenging,
but you'll make sure they're also realistic.
 By doing this, you provide a safe environment so that each-
employee can be open and honest with you about successes and
struggles along the way. In other words, you're sending out a big
message that says, "It's OK to be human!"

9.  7. Observe and Follow Up
 Take time to observe how things are going
along the way. Don't wait until the end of the
project to check in with your employees.
Depending on each person's expertise and
the complexity of the task being performed,
follow up and observe the job being
performed while it's in progress.

10.  8. Be Clear about Rewards
 Let employees know what to expect if they meet
or exceed the standards you've developed. Be
clear up front about potential rewards. Let
employees know what's in it for them. And plan
for them to succeed. Sure, it may be less
expensive for the organization if employees fall
slightly short of your expectations, because you
can save on rewards. But the smart manager
knows that success—even if it entails certain
expenses at first—breeds success.